Whicker: Gritty UCI guard has a Starring role

Tenacious defense was just one of the ways UC Irvine guard Daman Starring, right, was able to contribute in the Anteaters' 67-60 upset of top-seeded Long Beach State on Friday. MICHAEL GOULDING., ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ANAHEIM – They call it man-to-man defense. Not eye-to-eye.

To play defense for UC Irvine is to endure a lot of discrepancy. Your 6-foot-3s are guarding someone else's 6-foot-6s. Your 190-pounders are dealing with some 225s.

"A lot of times it just comes down to will," Daman Starring said Friday, in what was not a reference to windmilling shot-blocker Will Davis II. Or maybe it was.

In any case, the Anteaters dug in their heels against Long Beach State, realized that just made them sink a little lower, and then dug deeper.

Starring, at 6-foot-3, withstood the backdown game of 6-foot-5 Keala King on two consecutive possessions.

Then he took a charge from 6-7 Tony Freeland.

On the other end he dashed down the lane and fed Davis for a slam that gave the Anteaters a six-point lead in the final minute.

UCI went on to win, 67-60, and Saturday night plays in its fourth Big West Tournament final.

A victory clinches its first NCAA Tournament appearance. They have won 20 games for the first time in 10 seasons. And they have gotten this far without center Adam Folker, who went through warmups with a knee brace but did not play.

He was missed, early in the second half, when King finished a drive that put Long Beach ahead, 43-36. The 49ers came out smoking, especially since Starring's half-court shot at the end of the first half was nullified by the shot clock, and UCI was left with a one-point lead instead of four.

The teams were already inside the locker room when that ruling came down, and they had to return for a ceremonial final second.

"Daman was mad because it hurt his average," Turner said.

Starring's 13.2-point scoring average led the Anteaters in Big West games. He had only seven in this game, with 2-for-11 shooting. He still found ways to be useful, driving for a bucket to make it 57-53, and stopping the previously non-negotiable King.

"He's left-handed but he likes to go right, the majority of the time," Starring said. "He's so dangerous because he can finish with both hands. We just tried to take away his right hand, and put as much pressure on him when he stopped his dribble, and hope we got the rebound."

Hope was a tenuous thing with eight minutes left. Freeland fed Dan Jennings, big to big, for a 49-43 lead.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.